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Kenny welcomes ban on fracking

Sinn Féin Agriculture spokesperson Martin Kenny, TD for
Sligo, Leitrim, West Cavan and South Donegal, said he was “a happy man today”
to see the anti-fracking bill pass its final stage in the Dáil. The Bill put
into law the banning of onshore fracking and Deputy Kenny said we must continue
to work to ban any of this type of exploration offshore which needs more
complex legislation.

Deputy Kenny said:

“The Bill to ban onshore fracking will pass to the Seanad
now. It is a win for rural communities and for common sense.

“I am a happy man today to see this Bill progress because of
the environmental implications of fracking and the damage it could do to
communities, the landscape and the tourism and farming industries.

“However, this Bill does not cater for offshore fracking
which is possible under the present law. Though this technology is still at any
early stage, with only one large scale operation in place off the coast of the
US, this is something that is growing.

“There are question marks over the environmental
implications of this form of offshore extraction but a one line amendment in
the present legislation could have been challenged in the future.

“We understand that putting an amendment to ban offshore
fracking at this point could endanger the current legislation and assist those
who want to defeat it. We realise to ban offshore fracking needs a larger
piece of legislation and we will set about this, but we did not put this piece
of legislation in jeopardy by pushing the amendment right now.

“We are committed to the aim of making the whole island
fracking free. The people of Fermanagh will suffer the environmental
implications of fracking the same as people in Sligo, Leitrim, Clare or
Limerick.

“We need to be seeking an alternative to fossil
fuels so that the island is self-sufficient and sustainable. We need to have a
plan in place that sets us on a path to more environmentally sustainable way of
life.”